Written Answers

Tuesday 5 June 2001

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to offer financial or other support to the Salvation Army for its proposed alcohol addiction unit in Inverclyde.

Malcolm Chisholm: The funding of local alcohol addiction services operated by voluntary and charitable organisations is a matter for the health board and local authority.

  We are presently consulting on the development of a national Plan of Action on alcohol misuse, and expect to publish our plan at the end of this year. The plan will cover the whole spectrum of services that address alcohol problems: these should be flexible and responsive and delivered to a good standard. In keeping with Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change', we envisage the voluntary sector playing a key role in influencing change and meeting needs, and we welcome the Salvation Army's continuing interest in offering social care services to those in need.

Employment

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the report in The Herald on 27 April 2001 of the UK Minister for Transport’s plans to create 60,000 jobs in the transport industry, how many of the jobs will be in Scotland, in what sectors these will be and when they will be created.

Sarah Boyack: The estimate is for jobs generated by the expenditure planned under Transport 2010, the 10-year Plan published by the UK Government last July. An unspecified proportion of these jobs will relate to spending on reserved transport services in Scotland.

Environment

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will progress its proposals in its policy statement, The Nature of Scotland , and when any new legislation will be in place.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Ministers will consider the way forward when we have analysed responses to consultation on The Nature of Scotland .

Environment

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has received from Scottish Natural Heritage on whether marine mammals and basking sharks should be protected from harassment or intentional disturbance and whether it will consider such protection when progressing legislation arising from its policy statement, The Nature of Scotland .

Rhona Brankin: The issue of harassment or disturbance will be considered in response to the consultation on the policy statement, The Nature of Scotland . SNH have not at this stage been asked to advise and their response to the policy statement has not been received.

Environment

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what duties of care for Sites of Scientific Interest rest with public bodies and statutory undertakers; whether it will introduce new duties of care when progressing legislation arising from its policy statement, The Nature of Scotland , and, if not, what its reasons are for this decision.

Rhona Brankin: There is no specific duty of care on public bodies and statutory undertakers in relation to SSSIs, although SSSIs are subject to protection through the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, planning law and policy and certain other provisions. Any SSSIs which are also Natura 2000 sites receive additional protection to ensure that features of European interest are safeguarded.

  The Executive will consider what further protections may be desirable in the light of consultation responses to the policy statement The Nature of Scotland.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the mesh size currently being negotiated within the EU and subsequently to be negotiated with the Norwegians, to be applied in the North Sea to protect cod, will not impact on other species.

Rhona Brankin: It is impossible to ensure that any change in mesh size will not impact on species other than cod in the mixed demersal fishery. These fish swim together. We are seeking to ensure in these negotiations that such impacts are taken into account.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many boardings of (a) Scottish vessels and (b) non-Scottish vessels were made by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency during the recent closure of North Sea grounds under the Cod Recovery Plan (i) within the closed area and (ii) outwith the closed area.

Rhona Brankin: During the recent closure of North Sea grounds, from 14 February to 30 April, under the Cod Recovery Plan, British Sea Fishery Officers of the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency undertook boardings at sea of one Scottish vessel and three non-Scottish vessels within the closed area. Additionally, 76 Scottish vessels and 27 non-Scottish vessels were boarded outwith the closed area.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the policy that fish farmers whose fish farmed livestock are compulsorily slaughtered are not entitled to compensation was first established.

Rhona Brankin: The first claim for compensation in these circumstances was turned down in 1996.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of any additional costs incurred by fish farmers in each year since Her Majesty's Government’s decision not to adopt EU Council Decision 90/424, which provides compensation for the compulsory slaughter of farmed fish.

Rhona Brankin: No such estimate has been made. The provisions of Decision 90/424 apply to neither of the fish diseases for which compulsory slaughter has been required.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what EC compensation schemes for losses incurred by fish farmers as a result of the compulsory slaughter of farmed fish it is aware of and whether it will provide details of any such schemes.

Rhona Brankin: We are aware of no such schemes.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce proposals to provide backing for an insurance scheme in respect of the compulsory slaughter of farmed fish.

Rhona Brankin: Such plans have been proposed and rejected as any Government contribution would be tantamount to compensation. We have, however, secured and implemented an amendment to EC fish health legislation to allow fish to be withdrawn from infected farms at a rate determined by the level of disease present. It is our hope that the withdrawal scheme will enable compulsory slaughter to be an insurable risk and to this end my officials have had meetings with insurance industry representatives.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has received on whether the lack of a scheme to compensate fish farmers for the compulsory slaughter of fish breaches the provisions of Article 1 of the First Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights and article 14 of the Convention itself; what consideration it has given to any case law which applies in this matter and, in particular, what consideration it has given to any precedent set in Handyside v UK (A/24) (1976) relevant to this matter.

Rhona Brankin: Our legal advice is that policy on compensation for fish farmers in these circumstances is not in breach of these provisions. Consideration has been given to a range of case law, including Handyside v UK . The matter is currently being examined by the European Court of Justice.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether selenium deficiency is the cause of any major heart problems in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: There is no evidence to suggest that a deficiency of selenium is a significant factor in the development of coronary heart disease in Scotland.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will clarify the roles of and inter-relationships between the (a) Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, (b) Health Technology Board for Scotland, (c) Clinical Resource and Audit Group, (d) Scottish Executive Health Department, (e) Clinical Standards Board Scotland and (f) Scottish Medicines Consortium.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive published a report entitled A Focus on Quality in December 2000 which details the initiatives aimed at improving the quality of health care provided in Scotland, and the roles of the various organisations involved in clinical effectiveness activities in Scotland. These organisations include the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland, the Health Technology Board for Scotland, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and the Clinical Resource and Audit Group. Copies of the report were placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

  Following a commitment in Our National Health, further work is under way to map out the relationships between these national organisations, with a view to achieving better integration and co-ordination of all relevant bodies with an interest in clinical quality. The Chief Medical Officer is leading this work.

  As a result of a further commitment in Our National Health, the Chief Medical Officer asked Professor David Lawson to work with the Health Technology Board for Scotland and with local area drug and therapeutic committees on further steps to remove inequities in prescribing practice across Scotland. As a result of this, discussions are ongoing about local area drug and therapeutic committees working together as a Scottish Medicines Consortium.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the criteria used by the Health Technology Board for Scotland to determine whether considerations regarding the cost of a new drug or therapy should outweigh those of clinical effectiveness.

Susan Deacon: The Health Technology Board for Scotland does not only evaluate the cost of a drug or therapy to provide advice on Value for Money. It uses well-established techniques to create mathematical models to incorporate all the costs and benefits associated with the introduction and use of the therapy in a formal economic evaluation framework. The board is currently developing guidance for those submitting evidence in relation to such clinical and cost effectiveness analyses.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on prescriptions to treat malignant diseases in Scotland in each of the last five years and how these figures compare with those for (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.

Hospitals

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make hospital-acquired infection a notifiable disease.

Susan Deacon: There are no plans to make hospital-acquired infection (HAI) a notifiable disease within the generally accepted use of the term under the Public Health (Notification of Infectious diseases) (Scotland) Regulations 1988. We are undertaking a comprehensive review of public health legislation in Scotland which is considering the system of notification of infections. But a HAI is an indication of where the patient acquired the illness rather than a specific medical condition. There are also considerable clinical uncertainties about the degree to which a HAI may contribute to death and in addition there can be uncertainties about the source of infections.

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what fee is payable to each local authority for a Houses in Multiple Occupancy licence.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any indications that the level of fee in any local authority area for a Houses in Multiple Occupancy licence is encouraging landlords to sell their properties or to evade licensing.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to develop national standards or good practice guidelines for local authorities to ensure that Houses in Multiple Occupancy licensing is carried out to a consistently high standard across Scotland.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to monitor any impact that fees for Houses in Multiple Occupancy licences have on (a) landlords and (b) tenants.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to set up a forum for people or organisations involved with or affected by Houses in Multiple Occupancy licensing to facilitate discussion about common practices and concerns.

Jackie Baillie: We consider that a forum of this sort is unnecessary, since local authorities have already established an HMO Benchmarking Group in which they can discuss problems and best practice relating to mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Executive officials and the voluntary sector have established contacts with this group.

  The licensing structures set up by local authorities were informed by the guidance on the mandatory licensing of HMOs published by the Executive in September 2000. This guidance, which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. no. 13706), was based partly on examples of best practice and it includes Benchmark Standards for safe, good quality accommodation, as well as information on tenancy management standards. However, under the provisions of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, it is the responsibility of each local authority to set reasonable licensing conditions.

  Under the 1982 Act it is also the responsibility of each local authority to set licensing fees for its area at a level sufficient to meet the expenses of the local authority in exercising its licensing functions under the Act. Details of fee levels are among the information currently being obtained from local authorities on the revised HMO licensing monitoring return.

  We have no substantive evidence that landlords are selling properties or evading licensing because of the level of fees. Information on any such trends, and on the impact of licence fees on landlords and tenants, will be sought in the course of a review of the first year of mandatory licensing of HMOs, which the Executive will be carrying out later this year.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it consulted the Criminal Justice Forum about its proposals for the justice budget for financial years 2002-03 and 2003-04 before publishing these proposals.

Mr Jim Wallace: No: budgetary issues do not fall within the remit of the Criminal Justice Forum.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what dates in 2000-01 the Criminal Justice Forum met and on which of these occasions the Executive was represented.

Mr Jim Wallace: The reconstituted Criminal Justice Forum met for the first time on 5 June 2000 and again on 5 December 2000. Its next meeting will be held on 27 June. I normally chair forum meetings and other ministers and officials attend as appropriate.

Local Government Finance

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding each local authority has been allocated to cover the costs of implementing the McCrone recommendations in each year from 2001-02 to 2003-04.

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive will publish details of the amount each local authority will be allocated to fund the McCrone proposals on teachers’ pay in financial years 2002-03 and 2003-04.

Angus MacKay: The funding allocations to local authorities, agreed with CoSLA, to cover the costs of implementing the McCrone recommendations in 2001-02 to 2003-04 are shown in the following table:

  


Council
  

2001-02
  

2002-03
  

2003-04
  



£ 
  million
  

£ 
  million
  

£ 
  million
  



Aberdeen 
  City
  

5.903
  

8.971
  

13.384
  



Aberdeenshire
  

8.425
  

12.732
  

18.863
  



Angus
  

3.814
  

5.804
  

8.603
  



Argyll & 
  Bute
  

3.084
  

4.592
  

6.720
  



Clackmannanshire
  

1.665
  

2.533
  

3.769
  



Dumfries 
  & Galloway
  

5.262
  

7.988
  

11.887
  



Dundee City
  

4.731
  

7.155
  

10.583
  



East Ayrshire
  

4.248
  

6.424
  

9.501
  



East Dunbartonshire
  

4.291
  

6.460
  

9.487
  



East Lothian
  

2.961
  

4.564
  

6.873
  



East Renfrewshire
  

3.566
  

5.410
  

8.060
  



Edinburgh, 
  City of
  

11.595
  

17.840
  

26.789
  



Eilean Siar
  

1.208
  

1.808
  

2.650
  



Falkirk
  

4.662
  

7.090
  

10.612
  



Fife
  

11.994
  

18.148
  

26.872
  



Glasgow 
  City
  

19.233
  

29.258
  

43.693
  



Highland
  

7.906
  

11.998
  

17.777
  



Inverclyde
  

2.995
  

4.512
  

6.650
  



Midlothian
  

2.900
  

4.396
  

6.527
  



Moray
  

3.061
  

4.656
  

6.960
  



North Ayrshire
  

4.880
  

7.369
  

10.942
  



North Lanarkshire
  

11.735
  

17.743
  

26.348
  



Orkney
  

0.853
  

1.270
  

1.871
  



Perth & 
  Kinross
  

4.257
  

6.461
  

9.581
  



Renfrewshire
  

6.181
  

9.399
  

14.100
  



Scottish 
  Borders
  

3.615
  

5.504
  

8.235
  



Shetland
  

1.037
  

1.568
  

2.334
  



South Ayrshire
  

3.904
  

5.934
  

8.795
  



South Lanarkshire
  

10.693
  

16.170
  

23.929
  



Stirling
  

2.950
  

4.487
  

6.715
  



West Dunbartonshire
  

3.563
  

5.371
  

7.946
  



West Lothian
  

5.628
  

8.586
  

12.844

Medical Records

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13952 by Susan Deacon on 21 March 2201, in what ways access to the secure private networks on which individuals’ medical records will be held will be controlled, with particular reference to the security of smartcard access to such networks.

Susan Deacon: Access to NHSScotland secure private networks is permitted only to authorised users. Authority to access is given under an auditable Code of Connection which operates under strict criteria to protect the integrity of NHSScotland networks and information systems. Access by unauthorised parties to NHS networks is prevented by firewall facilities which screen attempted accesses to the network and reject those that are not authorised. Authorised users who gain access to the network cannot then obtain access to any information system without satisfying the access protocols for the individual information system and this would include systems containing individuals’ medical records. Smartcards are not used in any way to access NHSScotland secure networks.

Medical Research

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans exist to improve facilities for clinical research within NHS hospitals and establish new dedicated facilities.

Susan Deacon: It is for individual health boards and NHS Trusts to determine the level of funding required for investment in the improvement of facilities for clinical research, and the need for new dedicated facilities, from within available resources.

  The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Executive Health Department does, however, play a major role in supporting the research conducted in such facilities through its £31 million R&D Support Fund. For example, approaching £500,000 additional funding has been offered in the current financial year to the Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust to support the research being conducted in its Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility.

Ministerial Costs

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on fuel for ministerial cars in each month from July 2000 to April 2001.

Angus MacKay: The monthly expenditure on fuel for the Government Car Service (Scotland) (GCS) since July 2000 is shown in the following table (details of expenditure for April 2001 are not yet available as invoices have still to be received):

  


Month
  

Expenditure 
  (£)
  



July 2000
  

2,715
  



August 2000
  

2,150
  



September 
  2000
  

1,378
  



October 
  2000
  

1,930
  



November 
  2000
  

2,187
  



December 
  2000
  

1,261
  



January 
  2001
  

1,431
  



February 
  2001
  

1,177
  



March 2001
  

2,450
  



  The GCS provides or arranges car transport for the Scottish Ministers, Ministers of UK Government Departments when in Scotland, officials and visiting dignitaries. The same vehicle may be used to transport several different individuals on any given day. It is not therefore possible to identify separately the fuel costs for journeys made by Scottish Ministers.

  Since 1 August 2000 all GCS cars have been dual fuel which enables them to be run, whenever possible, on liquid petroleum gas (lpg) instead of unleaded petrol. Lpg is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to unleaded petrol.

  When demand exceeds available GCS capacity, private hire cars and drivers are engaged from companies with which the GCS has standing arrangements. The cost of fuel is not separately identified within the cost of private hire cars.

Ministerial Responsibilities

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who was consulted on the decision that the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs should have responsibility for Europe and external affairs.

Henry McLeish: The allocation of ministerial responsibilities is entirely a matter for me as First Minister.

NHS Funding

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the level of funding available to (a) Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, (b) Lanarkshire Primary Care NHS Trust and (c) Lanarkshire Health Board in (i) 1999-2000 and (ii) 2000-01 compared to that available in each of the previous seven years.

Susan Deacon: SEHD allocate funds to health boards. It is then for the health boards to decide what healthcare services are needed for their resident populations and commission services accordingly with their local and other NHS Trusts. The information about the amount of income provided to individual NHS Trusts by health boards is not held centrally.

  The funding allocated by SEHD to Lanarkshire Health Board over the last nine years is as follows:

  


£ million
  

1992-93
  

1993-94
  

1994-95
  

1995-96
  

1996-97
  

1997-98
  

1998-99
  

1999-2000
  

2000-01 
  



Cash Limited2


249.9 
  
  

264.3
  

271.0
  

306.2
  

323.0
  

349.6
  

375.6
  

420.8
  

455.7
  



Non Cash 
  Limited
  

N/A1


76.0
  

73.5
  

75.7
  

76.4
  

78.4
  

76.5
  

52.7
  

60.2
  



Capital 
  Funds
  

1.4
  

-
  

-
  

-
  

-
  

-
  

-
  

-
  

-
  



TOTAL
  

251.3
  

340.4
  

344.5
  

381.9
  

399.4
  

428.0
  

452.1
  

473.5
  

515.9
  



  Notes:

  1. Not available

  2. Includes capital funding less than £1 million.

  Once Trusts had been established, SEHD provided capital funding directly to them. Some of the capital allocated is for replacement equipment and small schemes, this is allocated annually. Whereas other elements, usually associated with large construction projects, are bid for on an annual basis. The funding allocated to Lanarkshire Trusts since they were established is as follows.

  


£ 
  million
  

1993-94
  

1994-95
  

1995-96
  

1996-97
  

1997-98
  

1998-99
  

1999-2000
  

2000-01
  



Hairmyres 
  & StoneHouse
  

N/T
  

2.5
  

3.5
  

1.5
  

0.6
  

0.7
  

 


 




Law
  

N/T
  

3.5
  

3.2
  

1.6
  

0.5
  

10.0
  

 


 




Lanark. 
  Healthcare
  

 


 


4.9
  

3.1
  

1.6
  

0
  

 


 




Monklands 
  & Bellshill
  

1.4
  

4.6
  

3.7
  

3.9
  

2.8
  

3.2
  

 


 




Lanarkshire 
  Acute
  

N/T
  

N/T
  

N/T
  

N/T
  

N/T
  

N/T
  

5.1
  

13.7
  



Lanarkshire 
  PCT
  

N/T
  

N/T
  

N/T
  

N/T
  

N/T
  

N/T
  

3.4
  

1.2
  



TOTAL
  

1.4
  

10.6
  

15.3
  

10.1
  

5.5
  

13.9
  

8.5
  

14.9
  



  Note: N/T means that the Trust was not established in that year.

  These figures do not include the capital costs of PFI projects.

NHS Waiting Lists

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase the number of people on NHS waiting lists who are sent for treatment in the private sector.

Susan Deacon: Decisions about the treatment of patients on NHS waiting lists are for health boards and NHS Trusts. NHSScotland makes limited use of the private health sector, primarily on a contingency basis to meet particular short-term pressures.

Nursing

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12809 by Susan Deacon on 7 February 2001, whether the current review of the support arrangements for nursing students will address (a) reimbursement of all travel expenses connected with clinical placements and (b) students’ housing needs.

Susan Deacon: The review of the support arrangements for nursing students will cover all living cost support for nursing students, including the costs of accommodation and travel costs connected with clinical placements.

Nursing

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12809 by Susan Deacon on 7 February 2001, in what way degree nursing students, as distinct from diploma nursing students, receive significantly more financial support than students studying other disciplines.

Susan Deacon: Honours Degree student nurses receive assistance towards their living costs by way of a means-tested NHS bursary (which does not need to be repaid) and a non-means-tested student loan, in roughly equal proportions.

  Students studying other disciplines in Scotland get living cost support mainly through a (partly) means-tested loan, although students under 25 may be eligible for a new non-repayable Young Students' Bursary in the forthcoming academic session.

  Both types of students have their fees paid and may be eligible to apply for supplementary allowances which do not have to be repaid. However, nursing degree students will not be liable for the £2,000 Graduate Endowment which other students starting their studies this year will have to pay on completion of their course.

  As a means test is involved to some extent for both sets of students, each individual's circumstances will dictate how much assistance they receive. However, because the NHS Bursary does not have to be repaid, nursing degree students are likely to have less debt in the form of student loan than their counterparts in other undergraduate disciplines.

Pensions

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new trunk roads maintenance contracts specify that pension schemes offered by the new contractors to transferred employees under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) legislation are final salary pension schemes.

Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1F-910 on 15 March 2001.

Pensions

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in relation to recent reports that BEAR Scotland Ltd may not be acting in accordance with the terms of the Statement of Practice on Staff Transfers in the Public Sector regarding the protection of occupational pensions of staff transferring employers as a result of the recent tendering exercise for the maintenance and management of trunk roads.

Sarah Boyack: The First Minister’s answer to your question S1F-910 explained the position on occupational pensions under the new contracts. My earlier answer to Murray Tosh (question S1W-8984) explained the Executive’s view on the Statement of Practice in general, and the steps which would be taken in the context of the new maintenance contracts. The provision of pensions is a matter for the contractor to determine.

Pensions

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it anticipates saving over the life of the new trunk road maintenance contracts as a result of any substitutions of money purchase schemes for certified pension schemes in relation to employees of existing contractors who are transferred under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations.

Sarah Boyack: The provision, by the companies who have been awarded the contracts, of pension arrangements for staff, including those who transfer from local authority employment under TUPE, is a matter for the companies to determine.

Recycling

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what materials currently used by it are subsequently recycled; how much of each material is sent for recycling, and what targets it has for future recycling.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive aims to recycle office waste in all main buildings. The current recycling figures are shown in the following table.

  


Recycled 
  Waste in the main Scottish Executive Buildings
  


 

1999-2000*
  

2000-01*
  



Paper
  

13,052 
  bags
  

490.201 
  tonnes
  



Aluminium 
  Cans
  

121 
  bags
  

8.258 
  tonnes
  



Plastic 
  Cups (Victoria Quay figures only)
  

342 
  bags
  

9.012 
  tonnes
  



Waste Metal 
  from Office Furniture
  

no 
  figures available
  

16.530 
  tonnes
  



Cooking 
  Oil (Victoria Quay figures only)
  

no 
  figures available
  

0.675 
  tonnes
  



Toner Cartridges 
  (Victoria Quay figures only)
  

1,235 
  cartridges
  

1,247 
  cartridges
  



Fluorescent 
  Tubes
  

1,200 
  tubes
  

4,000 
  tubes
  



  The main waste material within the Scottish Executive is waste paper. In addition to the items set out above, we also recycle the power packs from emergency lighting in Victoria Quay, but figures are not available for this. We have plans to introduce battery segregation and are investigating the possibility of recycling other plastics.

  In the year to March 2001, we recycled 38% of our waste, exceeding the target of 25% waste recycling for that year. Our revised target for recycling is to achieve 50% recycled waste by March 2002.

  * Figures for each year are not comparable because of a change in waste contractor between 1999-2000 and 2000-01 which resulted in a new and more appropriate way to measure waste and recycling.

Sheltered Housing

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the draft Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill applies to shared equity sheltered housing.

Iain Gray: The draft Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill, as prepared by the Scottish Law Commission, does contain provisions applicable to shared equity sheltered housing. As it stands, the Bill would provide a power for a majority of the owners to dismiss a manager appointed by a developer after a period of 10 years (or after the sale of the last unit, whichever is the first) and for burdens requiring maintenance of common facilities to be enforced by a majority of owners. The details of these provisions are subject to the consultation exercise for the draft Bill, which was announced in the answer to question S1W-15380 on 1 May 2001.

Special Educational Needs

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding any difficulties they may have in meeting the costs of placing children in schools for special needs which are either (a) grant aided by the Executive or (b) financially independent.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has had no such specific discussions with local authorities.

Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to take forward the proposals contained in its report Women and Transport: Moving Forward and what the timetable is for implementing any such plans.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is pursuing a wide-ranging programme of action to help meet the diverse needs of women travellers across Scotland. The Executive in particular plans to publish later this year a checklist to identify and address these needs for the use of central government, local authorities and transport operators in designing and implementing policies, programmes and services.

Transport

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why the central Scotland traffic model has not been applied to the proposal for an Aberdeen bypass until now, how much it will cost to apply the model to this proposal and how much of this cost it will meet.

Sarah Boyack: The area covered by the Central Scotland Transport Model has been extended gradually and since 1997 has covered from Dundee to Ayrshire. It is now intended to extend the area to Aberdeen and its environs. The extension of the model is a major exercise. The most practical and economical way to carry this out is in conjunction with other planned enhancements. This will form part of the re-tendering of the contract to maintain the model. The re-tendering is due to be completed by September.

  To extend the model to Aberdeen requires extensive data collection in Aberdeen and its environs, followed by an extension of the structure of the model, and finally a calibration and validation exercise for the extended model. Data collection will be carried out this month and in October.

  I announced during my visit to Aberdeen on 14 March that the cost of this to the Executive would be around £0.5 million and work since then has confirmed that figure.